Elvis Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century, known simply as "the King of Rock and Roll". He first recorded songs in 1953 at Sun Records, paying for studio time himself. His 1956 RCA recordings with new backup musicians helped launch his career into mainstream success. Throughout the 1970s, Presley's health deteriorated due to addiction and overuse of prescription drugs, and he died at his Graceland home in 1977 at the age of 42.